Charles r



No. 620,948. Patented Mar, l4, 899.

6. R. MOORE.

STEAM BOILER. lication filed Dec. 1 2, 1898 UUUUUU I.)

INVENTOR ATTORNEY NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. MOORE, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK, ASSIGN OR TO THE LA FRANCE FIREENGINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

STEAM-BOILER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,948, dated March14, 1899.

Application filed December 12, 1898. Serial No, 698,982. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. MOORE, a

I citizen of the United States,resi ding at Elmira,

in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Steam-Boilers, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steam-boilers of the verticalsmoke-flue type wherein a water-chamber is provided within and at thetop of the boiler below the upper head to protect the tops of thesmoke-fines; and the object of my improvements is to provide such aboiler with means whereby a constant automatic circulation of water orheavily-saturated steam will be insured from the leg of the boiler intoand through said waterchamber while the boiler is in operation. I attainthis object by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing,in which I have shown a vertical section of a boiler embodying myimprovements.

Heretofore boilers of this type have been provided with a Waterchamberat the top, surrounding the upper end of the smoke-fiues; but the waterhas been pumped directly into said chamber from the feed-pump anddelivered thence. into the water space or leg of the boiler. This hasdisadvantages, inasmuch as the feed-water tends to cool thiswater-chamber and condense the steam below it in the steam-space of theboiler. Moreover, the feedpump has to be watched carefully in order tokeep this chamber filled and yet not raise the level of the Water .inthe boiler abovethe normal point, since when the feed is shut off thewater may be driven entirely out of the water-chamber. It has also beencustomary for some time past to construct boilers of the smoke-flue typewith a high fire-box, filling said fire-box above the fire-space withcirculating nests, coils, or tubes, and it has been found that wheresuch circulating media open vertically into the boiler above thecrownsheet the water in circulating through will be thrown to the top ofthe boiler, saturating the steam therein and rendering the boilerpractically useless unless means are provided to divert this flow inlateral directions. I have in my present improvements taken advantage ofthis fact, as will presently appear.

1n the drawing, A represents the shell of the boiler, B the fire-box,and C the crown-sheet,

located at some distance above the fire-space.

D represents the head of the boiler, and E a diaphragm in the boiler ashort distance below the head. The smoke-dues pass through and areexpanded into the diaphragm and head, forming thereby a water-tightcompartment at the top of the boiler.

At F, I have shown a nest of tubes running between headers, the bottomheader of which is connected by a coupling G to the leg of the boilerand the upper header of which is screwed into and projects through thecrown-sheet at H, this projection H being plugged at the top andprovided with lateral openings, as indicated, whereby the water incirculating is thrown laterally over the crown-sheet of the boiler- Thistype of nest is used in what is known as the La France fire-engineboiler, and the fire-box is filled with a greater or less number ofthese circulating-nests, according to the size of the boiler, only onebeing shown in the-drawing 75 for the purpose of illustration. WVere theprojection H not plugged, it would be found that the water circulatingthrough the nest would be thrown clear to the top of the boiler. Takingadvantage of this fact, I sup ply the water-chamber with water from theleg of the boiler by connecting one of the series of nests, as I, to apipe K, which passes up through the diaphragm E and opens into thewater-chamber, and it will readily be seen that when the nest I isheated the water therein will rise through the pipe K and flood thewater-chamber, since the cooler column of water around the leg of theboiler being heavier than the heated column in the nest I and pipe Kwill force the hotter and therefore lighter column upward. The water andsteam from the water-chamber will descend through the pipe L and passback into the boiler proper, said pipe extending downward, preferably,from near the top of the waterchamber in order that said chamber shallbe kept filled. The pipes L and K are expanded into the diaphragm E,screw-plugs M and N being provided in the head D for the purpose ofinserting the expander.

0 represents the connection from the feedpump to the boiler.

In operation it will be seen from the above that so long as the boileris fired acirculation from the leg of the boiler will take place throughthe nest I and the pipe K into the water-chamber at the top of theboiler, and thence through the pipe L back into the Water-space, thesteam which may be generated during such circulation rising into thesteamspace of the boiler. Thus at all times while the boiler is underfire the water-chamber will be filled with water, or at any rate,heavilysaturated steam,this water or saturated steam protecting the topends of the smoke-fines and preventing leakage around their connectionswith the head of the boiler. By this means also the water-chamber isfilled at all times with hot water or steam and condensation of thesteam in the steam-space of the boiler beneath the diaphragm isprevented. Also I gain additional heating-surface from the tops of thesmoke-fines for generating steam in the boiler.

Instead of the nest I a single-pipe connection may be made between theleg of the boiler and the water-chamber; but I prefer to insert the nestor some other arrangement of tubes within the fire-box, whereby alargerheating-surface is provided, thereby insuring a more rapid and efficientcirculation into and through the water-chamber. Therefore while I haveillustrated my invention as applied to the La France boiler it will beapparent that it may be applied with equal facility to any boilerwherein the fire-box will permit of the insertion of a circulating medium, whether it be in the nature of a nest of tubes or a coil or asingle circulating-tube.

I have shown the pipe K as opening into the bottom of the Water-chamber.This will allow the water to drain back therefrom into the boiler whenthe fire is banked or out; also, all the water may be drawn oif from theboiler from a single draw-off cock at the leg of the boiler. As soon,however, as the boiler is fired and before heat enough is generated toinjure the flue-tops there will be a circulation of water or saturatedsteam back into the water-chamber sufficient to protect the tubes. Thepipe K may, however, be extended to the top of the water-chamber, asindicated by the broken lines, if it is desired to trap the water in thechamber when there is no circulation.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as my invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination,with an upright smokeflue boiler, of a water-chambersurrounding the flues at their upper ends, a pipe connection leadingfrom the leg of theboiler through the fire-box into said water-chamber,and an eduction-pipe leading from said water-chamber into the boilerbelow the water-chamber, whereby a constant circulation of water orheavily-saturated steam is produced around the tops of the fines whenthe boiler is in operation.

2. The combination,with an upright smokefiue boiler, of a water-chambersurrounding the fiues at their upper ends, a plurality of pipes locatedin the fire-box of the boiler and having their lower ends connected withthe leg of the boiler and their upper ends to a pipe leading into saidwater-chamber, and an eduction-pipe leading from near the top of saidwater-chamber into the boiler below the water-chamber, for the purposeset forth.

3. The combination,with an upright smokefiue boiler, of a Water-chambersurrounding the fiues at their upper ends, a system or series ofcirculating media, as nests, tubes or coils, in the fire-box of theboiler, one of said media being connected with said water-chamber, andan eduction-pipe leading from said chamber into the boiler below thechamber.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES R. MOORE.

Witnesses:

- A. S. DIVEN,

O. TRACEY STAGG.

